Rookie Questions RE: Rear Brake Caliper R&R

[bbarrington]

Hello,
I've got the rear wheels off, the car on jack stands and I'm ready to go. The fittings soaked overnight with WD-40 on them (oops! - maybe should have used penetrating oil ). In fact, I was able to just now loosen the nut on the right brake line (haven't tried the left one yet).

But I have 2 questions: 1) the line is wanting to twist when I loosen the nut. How do I counteract that?, and 2) what can I use to plug the line when I am fitting the new caliper?

Thanks,

'88 Carrera Coupe
-Bill

[30westrob]

#1 if the line twists with the fitting it is caused by rust. Soaking with penetrating oil is your only shot. Replace rusted line as appropriate.
#2 use a piece of wood against the seat to partially depress the brake petal. This prevents fluid from flowing through the master cylinder when the system is open. Rob

[RWebb]

Soak with penetrating oil & go out and tap it with something steel a few times a day

keep trying it for a few days, then you may need to cut the brake hose which likely needs to be replaced anyway

rubber brake hoses should be replaced every 15 years or so - all of them

[RWebb]

BTW, there may be a hard to access fastener on there - IIRC, I used a shortie Snap-On ratchet handle to do this

[mike sampsel]

Originally Posted by RWebb

BTW, there may be a hard to access fastener on there - IIRC, I used a shortie Snap-On ratchet handle to do this

Yup, I took one of my cheap sockets to the grinder once. (well back then to the file, did not have a grinder)

[Locker537]

I keep some of these silicone plugs and stoppers in my tool box to cap various lines and plug fittings while working.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XYDFW8K

[bbarrington]

Thanks guys,

Great advice all around.

[997at]

Make sure you’re using flare nut wrenches on the lines....will have more grip and prevent rounding the nut. You can hold both nuts on either side of the line to ensure no twisting. The nut closest to the caliper will need a single wrench.

[bbarrington]

Thought I would provide an update FWIW. I used the 'partially depress the brake pedal with a piece of wood' technique to prevent leakage of brake fluid while the lines were open. It didn't work. I've heard that advice from more than one source, so I assume it's something I did wrong. Anyway, should make the bleeding process more interesting.

The calipers are mounted, but in the process, I was unable to prevent one of the lines from twisting slightly so I've decided to just go ahead and replace both lines. So the car is still up on blocks waiting for parts. I was tempted to just go ahead and bleed the lines, but I decided that an epitaph of 'Here lies Bill. But for the small cost of 2 brake lines...' was probably not a good way to be remembered.

Anyway, hope to be back on the road soon...

'88 Carrera Coupe

[BFT3.2]

A heads up not to make the mistake I made 5 years ago. The rear hard lines have a right and left but are malleable enough to work on the wrong side.

[bbarrington]

Yep. Thanks for the heads up.